Apparatus and methods for origination of voice and messaging communication in a network

ABSTRACT

A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving a query from a call session server for a first pointer associated with a telephone number of a terminating device of a requested communication session, transmitting to the call session server the first pointer including a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier associated with the terminating device to initiate an internet protocol communication session, receiving a notification from the call session server responsive to the call session server failing to initiate the internet protocol communication session, and transmitting to the call session server a second pointer including a telephone protocol uniform resource identifier for originating a circuit-switched communication session responsive to receiving the notification. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates generally to telecommunications and morespecifically to an apparatus and methods for initiation of voice andmessaging communications in a network.

BACKGROUND

As communications technology improves and demand for communicationservices grows, providers often seek to adjust those systems toincorporate the improved technology and expand those systems toaccommodate the growing demand. Systems that are slow to adjust orexpand can be undesirable and are often rendered obsolete. Systems thatexpand by providing unnecessary redundancy are inefficient and costly.Advances in telecommunication technologies create opportunities forintegrating communication capabilities as well as challenges fortransitioning between technological generations. Presently, sometelecommunication consumers are subscribed for full access to servicesof internet protocol multimedia systems (IMS), while others aresubscribed to legacy, non-IMS systems. It is desirable to allow non-IMSconsumers to selectively access some IMS-based services, such IP-basedmessaging, while prohibiting similar access to IP-based voice calls tofacilitate consumer acceptance and satisfaction with the IMS systemwhile retaining incentives for full subscriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services and that perform initiation of voice andmessaging communications in a network;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of storing at a telephonenumber mapping (ENUM) server name authority pointers (NAPTRs) associatedwith a telephone number of a communication device;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a query and responsesequence for the ENUM server;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating inportions of the systems described in FIGS. 1-6; and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for initiation of voice and messaging communications in anetwork. Other embodiments are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes transmitting, by atelephone number mapping (ENUM) server, a first name authority pointer(NAPTR) to an originating call session control function (CSCF) server.The first NAPTR can include a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniformresource identifier (URI) associated with a terminating device. Themethod can include receiving, by the originating CSCF server, one of anidentity of a terminating CSCF server associated with the terminatingdevice or a notification of an unsuccessful identification of theterminating CSCF server. The method can include transmitting, by theoriginating CSCF server, the SIP URI of the first NAPTR to theterminating CSCF server to initiate a packet-switched communicationresponsive to the receiving of the identity of the terminating CSCFserver. The method can further include transmitting to the originatingCSCF server, by the ENUM server, the second NAPTR comprising a telephone(tel) protocol URI associated with the terminating device responsive toreceiving the notification of the unsuccessful identification of theterminating CSCF server. The method can, in turn, include transmittingto a media gateway control function (MGCF) server, by the originatingCSCF server, the tel URI of the second NAPTR to initiate acircuit-switched communication session with the terminating device.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a device having amemory storing computer instructions and a processor coupled to thememory. The processor, responsive to executing the computerinstructions, can perform operations for receiving from a telephonenumber mapping (ENUM) server a first pointer including a sessioninitiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) associatedwith a terminating device. The processor can also perform operations fortransmitting a request to a subscriber server for an identity of aterminating call session server associated with the terminating device.The processor can, in turn, perform operations for receiving from thesubscriber server one of an identity of the terminating call sessionserver or a notification of an unsuccessful identification of theterminating call session server. The processor can perform operationsfor transmitting the SIP URI of the first pointer to the terminatingcall session server for originating a circuit-switched communicationsession with the terminating device responsive to receiving the identityof the terminating CSCF server. The processor can perform operations forreceiving a second pointer including a telephone protocol (tel) URIassociated with the terminating device responsive to receiving thenotification of the unsuccessful identification of the terminating CSCFserver. The processor can further perform operations for transmittingthe tel URI of the second pointer to a gateway server to initiate acircuit-switched communication session with the terminating deviceresponsive to receiving the second pointer.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a computer-readablestorage medium, including computer instructions, which when executed byat least one processor cause the at least one processor to performoperations for receiving a query from a call session server for a firstpointer associated with a telephone number of a terminating device of arequested communication session. The processor can also performoperations for transmitting to the call session server the first pointerincluding a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifierassociated with the terminating device to initiate an internet protocolcommunication session. The processor can perform operations forreceiving a notification from the call session server responsive to thecall session server failing to initiate the internet protocolcommunication session. In turn, the processor can perform operations fortransmitting to the call session server a second pointer comprising atelephone protocol uniform resource identifier for originating acircuit-switched communication session responsive to receiving thenotification.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system. TheIPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 110 with atleast one super headend office server (SHS) 111 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 111 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, or other present ornext generation local or personal area wireless network technologies. Byway of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 129 can be used also in themedia system of FIG. 1. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 100. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115 carrying mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 131 coupled to thebuilding 102. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver131 can be transferred to the media processors 106 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped with a broadbandport to the ISP network 132 to enable interactive services such as VoDand EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 133 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system100. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 133 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services.

It is contemplated that the subject disclosure can apply to otherpresent or next generation over-the-air and/or landline media contentservices system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116.

Communication system 100 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 130 to function as a subscriber server. The subscriberserver 130 can use computing and communication technology to performfunction 162, which can include among things, generating a set of nameauthority pointers (NAPTRs) for use in telephony communications bysubscriber communication devices 116 of the communications system 100.In one embodiment, the subscriber server 130 can track subscriptionconfigurations for communication devices 116 and can determine whetherthe devices 116 and/or their providing networks are capable of voiceand/or text message telephony using internet protocol orcircuit-switched protocol. In one embodiment, where the subscriberserver 130 determines that a particular subscriber communication device116 is capable of internet protocol based voice and/or messagingtelephony, then the subscriber server 130 can generate one or moreNAPTRs associated with each internet protocol voice and/or text messageservice. These one or more internet protocol NAPTRs can each include asession initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) thatidentifies locations in the World Wide Web for accessing the voiceand/or text message service.

In one embodiment, where the subscriber server 130 determines that aparticular subscriber communication device 116 is capable ofcircuit-switched based voice and/or text message telephony, then thesubscriber server 130 can generate one or more NAPTRs associated withthe circuit-switched voice and/or text message service. These one ormore circuit-switched NAPTRs can each include a tel URI that identifiesa telephony location within the public switched telephone network (PSTN)for accessing the voice and/or text message service. In one embodiment,the subscriber server 130 can determine that a particular subscribercommunication device 116 is capable of messaging via internet protocolbut can only perform voice communication by circuit-switched protocol.In this case the subscriber server 130 can generate one or more internetprotocol NAPTRs and one or more circuit-switched NAPTRs. The subscriberserver 130 can send the generated NAPTRs to a telephone mapping serverin the communication system 100 for use in routing telephony calls toand from the subscriber communication devices 116. The media processors106 and wireless communication devices 116 can be adapted with softwarefunctions 164 and 166, respectively, to utilize the services ofsubscriber server 130.

It is further contemplated that multiple forms of media services can beoffered to media devices over landline technologies such as thosedescribed above. Additionally, media services can be offered to mediadevices by way of a wireless access base station 117 operating accordingto common wireless access protocols such as Global System for Mobile orGSM, Code Division Multiple Access or CDMA, Time Division MultipleAccess or TDMA, Universal Mobile Telecommunications or UMTS, Worldinteroperability for Microwave or WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR,Long Term Evolution or LTE, and so on. Other present and next generationwide area wireless network technologies are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 200 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith communication system 100 as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 100.

Communication system 200 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)240, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 230, and other commonnetwork elements of an IMS network 250. The IMS network 250 canestablish communications between IMS-compliant communication devices(CDs) 201, 202, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 203, 205,and combinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function(MGCF) 220 coupled to a PSTN network 260. The MGCF 220 need not be usedwhen a communication session involves IMS CD to IMS CD communications. Acommunication session involving at least one PSTN CD may utilize theMGCF 220. IMS CDs 201, 202 can register with the IMS network 250 bycontacting a Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) whichcommunicates with an interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), which in turn,communicates with a Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with theHSS 240.

To initiate a communication session between CDs, an originating IMS CD201 can submit a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message to anoriginating P-CSCF 204 which communicates with a correspondingoriginating S-CSCF 206. The originating S-CSCF 206 can submit the SIPINVITE message to one or more application servers (ASs) 217 that canprovide a variety of services to IMS subscribers. For example, theapplication servers 217 can be used to perform originating call featuretreatment functions on the calling party number received by theoriginating S-CSCF 206 in the SIP INVITE message. Originating treatmentfunctions can include determining whether the calling party number hasinternational calling services, call ID blocking, calling name blocking,7-digit dialing, and/or is requesting special telephony features (e.g.,*72 forward calls, *73 cancel call forwarding, *67 for caller IDblocking, and so on). Based on initial filter criteria (iFCs) in asubscriber profile associated with a CD, one or more application serversmay be invoked to provide various call originating feature services.

Additionally, the originating S-CSCF 206 can submit queries to the ENUMsystem 230 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITEmessage to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS-compliant. The SIP URI can be used by anInterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 207 to submit a query to the HSS 240 toidentify a terminating S-CSCF 214 associated with a terminating IMS CDsuch as reference 202. Once identified, the I-CSCF 207 can submit theSIP INVITE message to the terminating S-CSCF 214. The terminating S-CSCF214 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 216 associated with theterminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 may then signal the CD 202 toestablish Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication services,thereby enabling the calling and called parties to engage in voiceand/or data communications. Based on the iFCs in the subscriber profile,one or more application servers may be invoked to provide various callterminating feature services, such as call forwarding, do not disturb,music tones, simultaneous ringing, sequential ringing, etc.

In some instances the aforementioned communication process issymmetrical. Accordingly, the terms “originating” and “terminating” inFIG. 2 may be interchangeable. It is further noted that communicationsystem 200 can be adapted to support video conferencing. In addition,communication system 200 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs 201, 202with the multimedia and Internet services of communication system 100 ofFIG. 1.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such as CD203 or CD 205 (in instances where the cellular phone only supportscircuit-switched voice communications), the ENUM server 230 can respondwith an unsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originatingS-CSCF 206 to forward the call to the MGCF 220 via a Breakout GatewayControl Function (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 can then initiate the call tothe terminating PSTN CD over the PSTN network 260 to enable the callingand called parties to engage in voice and/or data communications.

In one embodiment, a CD 205 can be configured to support some types oftelephony communication by internet protocol communication services butother types by circuit-switched communications. In other words, CD 205may be restricted to use certain internet protocol based service but notothers. For example, the combination of the CD 205 and the networks 250and 260 providing communication links to the CD 205 may be configuredsupport circuit-switched voice communication and not VoIP. At the sametime, the combination of CD 205 and networks 250 and 260 can provide aninternet protocol messaging service for the CD 205. That is, the CD 205can send and receive text messages via a packet-switched, internetprotocol text message service even though the CD 205 is limited to thecircuit-switched domain for voice services. In one embodiment, the ENUMserver 230 can be provisioned with multiple name authority pointers(NAPTRs) for each CD 205. In one embodiment, a query of the ENUM server230 can return a series of NAPTRs corresponding to the e.164 telephonenumber in the SIP INVITE message. In one embodiment, a portion of theNAPTRs associated with the e.164 telephone number can by SPI URIassociated with internet protocol-based services, while another portionof the NAPTRs associated with the e.164 telephone number can be tel URIassociated with circuit-switched communication.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an illustrative embodiment 500 depicts storingat a telephone number mapping (ENUM) server 230 a group of nameauthority pointers (NAPTRs) 540 and 550, each associated with atelephone number 510 of a communication device 205. In one embodiment,the subscriber server 130 can provision the series of NAPTRs 540-560 bydetermining which communication services have been configured for asubscriber associated with the CD 205. For example, a subscriber'sprofile can be configured such that any time a text message is sent tothe CD 205 the text message can be routed to the CD 205 by way ofinternet protocol communication. In one embodiment, during subscriberregistration, the initial filter criteria (iFC) settings in the HSS 240can be configured with service awareness. For example, if the subscriberis configured for internet protocol messaging using the IMS 250 but noIMS voice service (i.e., voice service is provided by PSTN 260), thenthe iFC of the HSS 240 is pre-loaded with this configuration.

The subscriber server 130 (or the HSS 240) can use the iFC settings togenerate the NAPTRs for storage in the ENUM server 230. In the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 5, the ENUM server 230 depicts a series of NAPTRrecords for internet protocol services for which the CD 205 isconfigured in this case. In this example, the listed NAPTRs 540-560 cancorrespond to three different conversions of the telephone number,“19725551234,” that can be provided to the ENUM server e30 in theinverted e.164 format by the command 530, $ORIGIN. The first NAPTR 540can return a SIP URI identifying an address for a terminating S-CSCF 214that can route a text message the CD 205. The second NAPTR 540 canreturn a SIP URI identifying an address for a presence sensingapplication that can detect the presence of the CD 205. The third NAPTR560 can return a SIP URI identifying an email address associated withreceiving text messages for the CD 205. Each NAPTR can include an ordercode and a preference code. In one embodiment, the order and/orpreference codes can be used to determine a chronological sequence,which the ENUM server 230 returns the NAPTR records in response to aseries of queries. In one embodiment, the NAPTR with the lowest combinedorder and preference will be returned first by the ENUM server 230,followed by the second lowest, and so on.

Referring now to FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the ENUM server 230 can beprovisioned with a series of NAPTRs 620 and 640 that enable properconnection to the CD 205 through an internet protocol (packet-switched)link for messaging or through a circuit-switched protocol (PSTN) forvoice. In one embodiment a first NAPTR 620 can include a SIP URI foridentifying an address of an internet protocol based service for routinga text message to the CD 205 identified by the telephone number“19725551234.” In one embodiment, a second NAPTR 640 can include a telURI that can identify the CD 205 as configured for receiving voice overthe PSTN at telephone number, “19725551234.” In one embodiment, a query610 of the ENUM server 230 can be based on the e.164 telephone numberand can result in a first response 620 from ENUM server 230 in the formof the first NAPTR 620. In one embodiment, the first NAPTR can have alower order code (100) than the second NAPTR 640 (101) to cause the ENUMserver 230 to return the first NAPTR 620 before returning the secondNAPTR. In one embodiment, the preference codes can be used to determinethe response order. For example, the first NAPTR 620 will be returnedfirst by the ENUM server 230 because it has a lower order, preferencecombination (100, 10) than the second NAPTR 640 (101, 10).

In one embodiment, an originating IMS CD 201 can request to send a textmessage to a terminating, non-IMS CD 205. To do this, the IMS CD 201 cansubmit a SIP INVITE message to an originating P-CSCF 204, which cancommunicate with a corresponding originating S-CSCF 206. The originatingS-CSCF 206 can submit a query 610 to the ENUM server 230 to translatethe E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITE message to a SIP URI formessaging the terminating CD 205 by way of the IMS. The ENUM server 230can then respond with the first NAPTR 620 containing the SIP URI for themessaging service. The SIP URI can be used by an Interrogating CSCF(I-CSCF) 207 to submit a query to the HSS 240 to identify a terminatingS-CSCF 214 associated with a terminating IMS CD 205. Once identified,the I-CSCF 207 can submit the SIP INVITE message to the terminatingS-CSCF 214. The terminating S-CSCF 214 can then identify a terminatingP-CSCF 216 associated with the terminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 maythen signal the IMS CD 205 to accept the text message via an internetprotocol communication session. The embodiment thereby enables an IMS CD201 to perform IP messaging with a non-IMS CD 205 that is configured forIP messaging but not for VoIP.

In another embodiment, the originating IMS CD 201 can attempt to requesta VoIP call with the non-IMS CD 205, again, where the non-IMS CD is notconfigured to perform VoIP. In this case, the originating IMS CD 201 cansend a SIP INVITE message to the originating P-CSCF 204, which cancommunicate with a corresponding originating S-CSCF 206. The originatingS-CSCF 206 can query the ENUM server 230 using the telephone number ofthe non-IMS CD 205, and the ENUM server 230 can return the first NAPTR620, as above. However, when the originating I-CSCF 207 uses the SIP URIfrom the ENUM server 230 to request an identity of a terminating S-CSCF214 for providing VoIP for the non-IMS CD 205, the HSS 240 can return anotice to the originating I-CSCF 207 indicating an unsuccessfulidentification. At this point, the originating S-CSCF 206 can send anotification of the unsuccessful identification to the ENUM server 230,which can then respond with a second NAPTR 640 in the sequence. Thesecond NAPTR 640 can be a tel NAPTR that provides a tel URI. Theoriginating I-CSCF 207 can use the tel URI, forwarded to the MGCF 220via a Breakout Gateway Control Function (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 canthen initiate the call to the terminating non-IMS CD 205 over the PSTNnetwork 260 to enable the calling and called parties to engage in voiceand/or data communications.

It is further appreciated that the CDs of FIG. 2 can operate as wirelineor wireless devices. For example, the CDs of FIG. 2 can becommunicatively coupled to a cellular base station 221, a femtocell, aWiFi router, a DECT base unit, or another suitable wireless access unitto establish communications with the IMS network 250 of FIG. 2. Thecellular access base station 221 can operate according to commonwireless access protocols such as Global System for Mobile (GSM), CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Universal Mobile Telecommunications (UMTS), World interoperability forMicrowave (WiMAX), Software Defined Radio (SDR), Long Term Evolution(LTE), and so on. Other present and next generation wireless networktechnologies are contemplated by the subject disclosure. Accordingly,multiple wireline and wireless communication technologies arecontemplated for the CDs of FIG. 2.

It is further contemplated that cellular phones supporting LTE cansupport packet-switched voice and packet-switched data communicationsand thus may operate as IMS-compliant mobile devices. In thisembodiment, the cellular base station 221 may communicate directly withthe IMS network 250 as shown by the arrow connecting the cellular basestation 221 and the P-CSCF 216.

It is further understood that alternative forms of a CSCF can operate ina device, system, component, or other form of centralized or distributedhardware and/or software. Indeed, a respective CSCF may be embodied as arespective CSCF system having one or more computers or servers, eithercentralized or distributed, where each computer or server may beconfigured to perform or provide, in whole or in part, any method, step,or functionality described herein in accordance with a respective CSCF.Likewise, other functions, servers and computers described herein,including but not limited to, the HSS and ENUM server, the BGCF, and theMGCF, can be embodied in a respective system having one or morecomputers or servers, either centralized or distributed, where eachcomputer or server may be configured to perform or provide, in whole orin part, any method, step, or functionality described herein inaccordance with a respective function, server, or computer.

The subscriber server 130 of FIG. 1 can be operably coupled to thesecond communication system 200 for purposes similar to those describedabove. It is further contemplated by the subject disclosure that thesubscriber server 130 can perform function 162 and thereby provideNAPTRs for use in telephony communications involving the CDs 201, 202,203 and 205 of FIG. 2. CDs 201, 202, 203 and 205, which can be adaptedwith software to perform function 172 to utilize the services of thesubscriber server 130. It is further contemplated that the subscriberserver 130 can be an integral part of the application server(s) 217performing function 174, which can be substantially similar to function162 and adapted to the operations of the IMS network 250.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 302 which canbe hosted by server applications operating from the computing devices130 of the communication system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The webportal 302 can be used for managing services of communication systems100-200. A web page of the web portal 302 can be accessed by a UniformResource Locator (URL) with an Internet browser such as Microsoft'sInternet Explorer™, Mozilla's Firefox™, Apple's Safari™, or Google'sChrome™ using an Internet-capable communication device such as thosedescribed in FIGS. 1-2. The web portal 302 can be configured, forexample, to access a media processor 106 and services managed therebysuch as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog,an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), or a personal catalog (such aspersonal videos, pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored at the mediaprocessor 106. The web portal 302 can also be used for provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

It is contemplated by the subject disclosure that the web portal 302 canfurther be utilized to manage and provision software applications162-166, and 172-174 to adapt these applications as may be desired bysubscribers and service providers of communication systems 100-200.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1-2. Thecommunication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a location receiver 416, a motion sensor 418, anorientation sensor 420, and a controller 406 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiFi, DigitalEnhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellular communicationtechnologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologies can include,for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX,software defined radio (SDR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), as well asother next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise.The transceiver 402 can also be adapted to support circuit-switchedwireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wirelineaccess technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinationsthereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 400 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include a display410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 400. In anembodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display 410 withnavigation features.

The display 410 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input (e.g., touch of a user's finger). Asa touch screen display, the communication device 400 can be adapted topresent a user interface with graphical user interface (GUI) elementsthat can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger. The touchscreen display 410 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or otherforms of sensing technology to detect much surface area of a user'sfinger has been placed on a portion of the touch screen display. Thissensing information can be used control the manipulation of the GUIelements.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 412 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 412 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 404 can further include an image sensor 413 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. Alternatively, the charging systemcan utilize external power sources such as DC power supplied over aphysical interface such as a USB port. The location receiver 416 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS for identifying a location of thecommunication device 400 based on signals generated by a constellationof GPS satellites, thereby facilitating common location services such asnavigation. The motion sensor 418 can utilize motion sensing technologysuch as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensingto detect motion of the communication device 400 in three-dimensionalspace. The orientation sensor 420 can utilize orientation sensingtechnology such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of thecommunication device 400 (North, South, West, East, combinedorientations thereof in degrees, minutes, or other suitable orientationmetrics).

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by common sensing techniques such as utilizing a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA)or time of flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

Other components not shown in FIG. 4 are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure. For instance, the communication device 400 can include areset button (not shown). The reset button can be used to reset thecontroller 406 of the communication device 400. In yet anotherembodiment, the communication device 400 can also include a factorydefault setting button positioned below a small hole in a housingassembly of the communication device 400 to force the communicationdevice 400 to re-establish factory settings. In this embodiment, a usercan use a protruding object such as a pen or paper clip tip to reachinto the hole and depress the default setting button.

The communication device 400 as described herein can operate with moreor less components described in FIG. 4. These variant embodiments arecontemplated by the subject disclosure.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

It is contemplated by the subject disclosure that the communicationdevice 400 shown in FIG. 4 or portions thereof can serve as arepresentation of one or more of the devices of communication systems100-200. It is further contemplated that the controller 406 can beadapted in various embodiments to perform the functions 162-166 and172-174, respectively.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative method 700 that operates in portions ofthe devices of FIGS. 1-5. Method 700 can begin with step 704 in which,in response to an originating CD 201 can send a request to anoriginating CSCF 206, the originating CSCF 206 send a query to an ENUMserver 230. The query can request first NAPTR associated with atelephone number of a terminating CD 205 that is a subject of arequested communication session. In one embodiment, the originating CD201 can be requesting a voice call with the terminating CD 205. In oneembodiment, the originating CD 201 can be requesting to a messagingcommunication with the terminating CD 205. In one embodiment, theoriginating CSCF server 206 can send a query command 610, such as a“$ORIGIN” command, to the ENUM server 230. In one embodiment, the querycommand 610 can include a telephone number, which may or may not be ine.164 format. In one embodiment, the ENUM server can 230 can indexgroups of NAPTRs according to telephone numbers. In one embodiment, theENUM server 230 can index NAPTR records according to portions oftelephone numbers. For example, the ENUM server 230 can index NAPTRrecords according to area codes and/or exchanges or can organize ahierarchy of NAPTR records according area codes and/or exchanges.

In step 708, the ENUM server 230 can send to the originating CSCF server206 the first NAPTR 620. In one embodiment, the first NAPTR 620 includesa SIP URI that can be used to identify an internet protocol basedservice for the terminating CD 205. In step 712, the originating CSCF206 can send the SIP URI from the first NAPTR 620 to a home subscriberserver (HSS) 240 to request an identity of a terminating CSCF server 214for the terminating CD 205.

In step 716, the HSS 240 can send to the originating CSCF server 206either an identity of the terminating CSCF server 214 of a notificationof an unsuccessful identification of the CSCF server 214. If the HSS 240correctly identifies the terminating CSCF server 214, in step 720, then,in step 724, the originating CSCF server 206 can send the SPI URI to theterminating CSCF server 214 for originating an internet protocolcommunication session with the terminating CD 205.

If the HSS 240 sends a notification of an unsuccessful identification ofthe terminating CSCF server 214, in step 720, then, in step 732, theENUM server 230 can transmit to the originating CSCF 206 the secondNAPTR 640.The second NAPTR 640 can include a tel URI for identifying theterminating CD 205 and indicating that the terminating CD 205 isaccessible for voice communications over the circuit-switched PSTN. Instep 736, the originating CSCF 213 can transmit the tel URI to a mediagateway control function (MGCF) 220 for originating the circuit-switchedcommunication session with the terminating CD 205.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, after a notificationfrom the HSS 240 of an unsuccessful attempt to identify the terminatingCSCF 214, the ENUM 230 can respond with a third NAPTR, where the thirdNAPTR points to an alternative address or location for performing therequested communication by internet protocol (packet-switched)communication. For example, the ENUM can include multiple options orrouting paths for a requested VoIP call. A failure of a first path, asspecified in the first NAPTR 620, can be followed by an attempt toconnect the VoIP through an alternative service at an alternativeaddress.

In another embodiment, the ENUM server 230 can return both the first andsecond NAPTRs 620 and 640 in response to the first request 610 from theoriginating CSCF 214. The originating CSCF 214 can then temporarily thesecond NAPTR 640 and wait to see if this pointer is needed. If the HSS240 returns a notification that the terminating CSCF 214 cannot belocated, then the originating CSCF 214 can fetch the second NAPTR 640from local memory and use the tel URI for establishing thecircuit-switched connection to the terminating CD 205. Other embodimentsare contemplated by the subject disclosure.

In another embodiment, the NAPTRs stored in the ENUM 230 can be updatedaccording to user selections captured at a web portal 302 or accordingto changes in user profile made by the service provider and updated intothe HSS 240.

In another embodiment, the non-IMS, terminating CD 205 can be configuredto perform VoIP using an IP service but not configured to perform IPmessaging. In this case, the first NAPTR can include a SIP URI for aVoIP service, and the second NAPTR can include a tel URI for messaging.Again, the ability to direct the routing of the VoIP or circuit-switchedtext message via the ENUM server 230 allows for a mixed mode operationwhere the non-IMS, terminating CD 205 can selectively use or not useIP-based services.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 800 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods discussed above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the subscriber server 130, media processor 106,CDs 201-205, originating CSCF 206, terminating CSCF 214, HSS 240, ENUMserver 230, and other devices of FIGS. 1-4. In some embodiments, themachine may be connected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In anetworked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client user machine in server-client user networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 800 may include a processor 802 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 804 and a static memory 806, which communicate with each othervia a bus 808. The computer system 800 may further include a videodisplay unit 810 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, ora solid state display. The computer system 800 may include an inputdevice 812 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 814 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 816, a signal generation device 818 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 820.

The disk drive unit 816 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 822 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 824) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 824 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 804, the static memory 806, and/or within theprocessor 802 during execution thereof by the computer system 800. Themain memory 804 and the processor 802 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 622 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) are contemplatedfor use by computer system 800.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: transmitting, by atelephone number mapping (ENUM) server, a first name authority pointer(NAPTR) to an originating call session control function (CSCF) server,wherein the first NAPTR comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP)uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with a terminating device;receiving, by the originating CSCF server, one of an identity of aterminating CSCF server associated with the terminating device or anotification of an unsuccessful identification of the terminating CSCFserver; transmitting, by the originating CSCF server and responsive toreceiving of the identity of the terminating CSCF server, the SIP URI ofthe first NAPTR to the terminating CSCF server to initiate apacket-switched communication session; transmitting to the originatingCSCF server, by the ENUM server, the second NAPTR comprising a telephoneprotocol (tel) URI associated with the terminating device responsive toreceiving the notification of the unsuccessful identification of theterminating CSCF server; and transmitting to a media gateway controlfunction (MGCF) server, by the originating CSCF server and responsive tothe originating CSCF server receiving the second NAPTR, the tel URI ofthe second NAPTR to initiate a circuit-switched communication session.2. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting, by the originatingCSCF server, a query to the ENUM server for the first NAPTR associatedwith a telephone number of the terminating device.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, comprising: transmitting, by the originating CSCF server, theSIP URI of the first NAPTR to a home subscriber server (HSS) to requestthe identity of the terminating CSCF server associated with theterminating device; and transmitting, by the HSS, to the originatingCSCF server one of the identity of the terminating CSCF server or thenotification of the unsuccessful identification of the terminating CSCFserver.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification of theunsuccessful identification of the terminating CSCF server comprisesblocking access at the HSS to an unauthorized service.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first NAPTR identifies a text message service andwherein the second NAPTR identifies a voice service.
 6. A device,comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores executableinstructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitatesperformance of operations, comprising: receiving from a telephone numbermapping (ENUM) server a first pointer comprising a session initiationprotocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with aterminating device; transmitting a request to a subscriber server for anidentity of a terminating call session function (CSCF) server associatedwith the terminating device; receiving from the subscriber server one ofan identity of the terminating CSCF server or a notification of anunsuccessful identification of the terminating CSCF server; transmittingthe SIP URI of the first pointer responsive to receiving the identity ofthe terminating CSCF server and to the terminating CSCF server toinitiate a packet-switched communication session with the terminatingdevice; receiving a second pointer comprising a telephone protocol (tel)URI associated with the terminating device responsive to receiving thenotification of the unsuccessful identification of the terminating CSCFserver; and transmitting the tel URI of the second pointer responsive toreceiving the second pointer and to a gateway server to initiate acircuit-switched communication session with the terminating device. 7.The device of claim 6, wherein the SIP URI of the first pointeridentifies a text message service and wherein the tel URI of the secondpointer identifies a voice service.
 8. The device of claim 6, whereinthe processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions,performs operations comprising transmitting a query to the ENUM serverfor the first pointer associated with a telephone number of theterminating device.
 9. The device of claim 6, wherein the transmittingof the request to the subscriber server comprises transmitting the SIPURI of the first pointer to the subscriber server.
 10. The device ofclaim 6, wherein the notification of the unsuccessful identification ofthe terminating CSCF server comprises blocking access at the subscriberserver to an unauthorized service.
 11. The device of claim 6,comprising: receiving from the ENUM server a third pointer comprising asecond SIP URI associated with the terminating device, wherein ENUMcompares order codes, preference codes, or a combination thereof, of thefirst pointer and the third pointer to determine a sequence for sendingthe first pointer and the third pointer.
 12. The device of claim 6,wherein the SIP URI of the first pointer identifies one of a multimediavoice service, a multimedia text message service, or a combinationthereof.
 13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium,comprising executable instructions, which when executed by a processor,facilitate performing of operations comprising: receiving a query from acall session server for a first pointer associated with a telephonenumber of a terminating device of a requested communication session;transmitting to the call session server the first pointer comprising asession initiation protocol uniform resource identifier associated withthe terminating device to initiate an internet protocol communicationsession; receiving a notification from the call session serverresponsive to the call session server failing to initiate the internetprotocol communication session; and transmitting to the call sessionserver a second pointer comprising a telephone protocol uniform resourceidentifier responsive to receiving the notification and for originatinga circuit-switched communication session.
 14. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first pointeridentifies a text message service and wherein the second pointeridentifies a voice service.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 13, comprising executable instructions which,when executed by the processor, facilitate the performing of operationscomprising: receiving the first and second pointers from a homesubscriber server; and storing the first and second pointers.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein thefirst pointer is associated with a subscribed communication service ofthe terminating device.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 13, wherein the call session server transmits thesession initiation protocol uniform resource identifier to a homesubscriber server with a request for an identity of a terminating callsession server to initiate the internet protocol communication session.18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13,wherein the call session server fails to initiate the internet protocolcommunication session responsive to receiving a message from a homesubscriber server indicating that a terminating call session servercannot be identified with the first pointer.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 13, comprising executableinstructions which, when executed by the processor, facilitate theperforming of operations comprising transmitting a third pointerassociated with the terminating device, wherein the third pointercomprises a second session initiation protocol uniform resourceidentifier.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 13, wherein the session initiation protocol uniform resourceidentifier of the first pointer identifies one of a multimedia voiceservice, a multimedia text message service, or a combination thereof.